From This Day Forward…
Scriptures For Meditation — Haggai 2:18-19; 2 Chronicles 6:12-31
Hag 2:18 ‘Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid—consider it:
Hag 2:19 Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you.’ “
The two passages of scripture that we are meditating on for this last day of our fasting and prayers, capture the essence of what God is doing in our lives in this season.
Altered At The Altar
We started our first instalment of the series on curses and blessings reading the prophetic message that Haggai gave to the children of Israel, letting them know that the reason they were living under a curse was because they had neglected to keep their vows to God, which they made to Him when He delivered them from the bondage of the Babylonian captivity. (Hag 2:1-17)
They were meant to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple and the walls of the city. However, when they got their deliverance, they soon forgot about their obligations to God and went about their merry lives doing their own stuff; an attitude that even till this day, many of us unwittingly find ourselves exhibiting.
Whilst our focus yesterday was on pulling down and destroying evil altars, as we saw in Gideon’s life, we can only build the Lord’s altar, after other unholy altars have been destroyed.
Haggai returned to express an imminent change in the fortunes of the children of Israel, after they eventually did what God had demanded of them. As they laid the foundation of the temple and began the work of rebuilding God’s house, another prophetic word came to them from God —
From this day forward, I will begin to change your story; I will change the situation of your life, and I will bless you!
This is also the promise of God to us today!
We tore down the altars of Baal in our lives yesterday, and today, we shall be laying the foundation of a glorious Temple to the Lord in our lives and rebuild the altar where our lives will be an offering — a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to Him — For as the bible says, we (believers) are the temple of God.
Recovery, Restoration, Rededication
In the second scripture, we see again, what happened when Solomon was dedicating the completion of the original temple that had been destroyed.
Solomon petitioned God on behalf of himself and the nation, by making some demands on God’s mercy and favour on account of the temple that had been built. (2 Chr 6:12-39)
He closed his prayers with a powerful invocation of God’s covenant keeping grace:
2Ch 6:40 “Now, O my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.
2Ch 6:41 “Now then arise, O LORD God, [and come] to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength and power. Let Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation and let Your godly ones rejoice in [Your] goodness.
2Ch 6:42 “O LORD God, do not turn away and reject the face of Your anointed; remember Your lovingkindness and faithfulness to Your servant David.”
Prayer Focus
We are also going to similarly rededicate our lives to God, and invoke His grace and loving kindness — His mercy and His favour over our lives and our families.
We have confessed and repented of our sins, renounced ungodly covenants and broken every curse and cancelled negative pronouncements over our lives and families.
We know that in the name of Jesus, our faithful Heavenly Father has heard and answered our prayers and rebuked the enemy, shut the mouth of the devourer and destroyed his power and influence over our lives.
We will therefore pray and claim the same promise that He made through Haggai to His people —
From this day forward, the Lord our God will bless us!
This is our battle cry against the enemy of our soul and destiny; we are blessed beyond the curse.
We have been blessed by God, and no one can stop it or reverse it!
The shout of our King is amongst us; Jehovah has been proclaimed to be our King.
Hallelujah!
Please join us online on Zoom again tonight for us to pray the prayer of Restoration and Rededication together.
May the Lord answer you speedily in Jesus’s Name.
Shalom,
Pastor Wale Ola
Prayer & Fasting
(Online Corporate Prayers)
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